Magic Fried Chicken Recipes

MAGIC FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Place the chicken pieces in a pan or shallow bowl; pour the buttermilk over and let marinate 1 hour at room temperature.
• Sprinkle 2 Tablespoons Poultry Magic all over the chicken pieces and pat it in well with your hands.
• Combine the flour and the remaining Poultry Magic in a shallow bowl.
• Heat the oil in a 12 inch skillet over high heat until very hot.
• Dredge the chicken in the seasoned flour, shaking off the excess and add to the oil, skin side down, in a single layer.
• Cover the skillet,reduce heat to medium and fry--checking occasionally to make sure the chicken is not burning, until browned on one side, about 5-6 minutes (if the chicken seems to be browning too quickly, turn down the heat).
• Turn the chicken pieces over, cover and fry-checking occasionally until they are a rich golden brown.
• Remove from the skillet and drain on paper towels.
• Set the skillet with the oil aside until oil is cooled.

PICNIC FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• For the honey giardiniera butter: Add the butter, honey and salt to taste to a bowl and mix until smooth. Stir in the giardiniera until well blended. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• For the chicken: Add the chicken thighs, reserved giardiniera brine and pickle brine to a plastic zip-top bag and refrigerate overnight or for at least 2 hours.
• When ready to fry the chicken, fill a Dutch oven halfway full with oil and heat to 350°F.
• Set up a dredging station: Pour the buttermilk into a large bowl and in a separate large bowl, stir together the flour, cornstarch, paprika, salt, pepper and cayenne until well combined. Use your tongs to drizzle some of the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture.
• Remove 1 or 2 pieces of the chicken from the brine at a time and submerge in the buttermilk. Add 1 piece of the buttermilk-soaked chicken at a time into the flour mixture and turn to completely coat the chicken. Transfer to a plate and repeat until all the remaining chicken is well coated.
• Add the chicken to the hot oil in batches, 2 or 3 pieces at a time, and cook until brown and crispy, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer the cooked chicken to a wire rack on a baking sheet to drain. Serve immediately with the giardiniera butter or let cool and store on a wire-rack on a sheet pan, lightly covered, in the fridge overnight. Serve at the picnic at room temp. Served with softened honey giardiniera butter.

MAGIC CRISPY CHICKEN

Steps:

• Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 450°F. Whisk egg yolk, 3 Tbsp. mayonnaise, 1 Tbsp. mustard, 1 1/2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 3/4 tsp. Morton salt, and several cranks of black pepper in a large bowl until smooth. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. With your knife parallel to the cutting board, slice breast into 1/2"-thick cutlets (if you end up with smaller breasts, you may not need to slice them). Place in bowl and turn with tongs to evenly coat. Set aside.
• Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium. Add a pinch of panko. If tiny bubbles appear instantly, you're good to go. Add remaining panko and cook, stirring, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Let panko cool in pan about 5 minutes.
• Set chicken next to panko and place a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet nearby. Using tongs, place a piece of chicken in panko and pat all over with panko, pressing firmly to adhere. Lightly shake off excess and place chicken on rack. Repeat with remaining chicken, spacing evenly apart on rack. Discard any remaining panko.
• Bake chicken until cooked through and breadcrumbs are deep golden brown, 10-15 minutes. Let cool slightly.
• Stir honey, cayenne, and remaining 1/4 cup mayonnaise and 1/4 cup mustard in a small bowl; season with black pepper. Add chives to sauce.
• Serve chicken with sauce alongside for dipping.

FRIED CHICKEN COATING MIX

Steps:

• Combine the first nine ingredients; store in an airtight container. Yield: 2-1/2 cups coating mix (enough for 3 batches of chicken)., To prepare chicken: In a shallow bowl, beat eggs and milk. Place 3/4 cup coating mix in a large resealable plastic bag. Dip chicken into egg mixture, then add to the bag, a few pieces at a time; shake to coat. , Heat 1/4 in. of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Brown chicken on all sides; transfer to an ungreased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. , Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 45-55 minutes or until juices run clear.

QUICK FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, stir together the buttermilk and Tabasco. Submerge the chicken parts in the mixture and leave as long as possible, at least 10 minutes (but up to overnight -- in the fridge -- is even better).
• In a plastic or paper bag, combine the flour, salt, black pepper, and cayenne.
• Shake the chicken parts, 2 or 3 pieces at a time, in the flour. Repeat with the remaining chicken. Shake off the excess flour. In a 14-inch skillet (or two smaller skillets), heat 2 inches of oil over high heat until very hot. Test with a tiny bit of chicken skin. If the oil bubbles immediately, it is hot enough.
• Place the chicken into the hot oil. Evenly distribute as many pieces as will fit in one layer in the pan, leaving 1/2 inch between pieces, and leave to fry undisturbed for about 15 minutes. Lower the heat as necessary to prevent excessive browning before the meat is cooked properly; the oil should continue to bubble steadily. Turn the pieces and cook for an additional 15 to 20 minutes.
• Remove to a rack to drain. Repeat the process to cook all the chicken. To keep the first batch warm, place on a rimmed baking sheet in a 200-degree oven. Sprinkle with salt and serve.